The maximum fine for litter offences is proposed to rise to £100,000 from the current £1,500, as part of the Government's new anti-litter plan.
On-the-spot litter fines are also proposed to increase from the current £50 to £100. The Minister for the Environment, Mr Noel Dempsey, announced the measures yesterday at the launch of the Government's Litter Action Plan.
The Minister said discussions are taking place between his Department, the Department of Justice and the Attorney General about the possibility of imprisonment for litter offences.
They are also discussing the possibility of sentencing litter offenders to community cleaning.
Imposing fines of up to £100,000 would be at the discretion of the courts, but may apply in a serious case, said a spokesperson for the Department of the Environment.
Mr Dempsey said a Bill dealing with levies on plastic bags would be published before Easter.
The maximum fine for continuing offences is proposed to increase fourfold to £400 a day for summary offences. Serious indictable offences will have a proposed maximum fine of £1,000 a day.
The Minister said he hoped to implement the plan in the next three to four years.
Other proposed legislative changes include a new power for local authorities to make antilitter by-laws for their areas.
Mr Dan Wallace, Minister of State for the Environment and Local Government, said funding for anti-litter measures would increase. "The Exchequer anti-litter provision for 2001 is £950,000, an increase of 19 per cent on the 2000 figure," he said. A percentage of revenue collected from levies on plastic bags and landfill operations will also fund anti-litter measures.
Commenting on reports that his Department petitioned the Department of Justice to overturn a litter fine, Mr Dempsey said he was "very embarrassed" the petition came from his office.
The petition, which was taken by a third party and was accompanied by a covering letter from the Minister's office, was unsuccessful. The Minister said he would not be taking any further action.
The petition referred to a businessman who placed fliers on car windscreens.
Full texts of the Government's Litter Action Plan and the report of the National Anti-Litter Forum are available on the Irish Times website at: www.ireland.com